A Year After Nasrallah's Death: The End of Hezbollah?

Investigation'Northern Shield:' Deep Beneath the Border, a Hunt for the Tunnels of Death

Natasha Metni Torbey 12/10 12:00 - Lecture : 5 minute(s)

A siren pierces the cold southern Lebanese night. Peacekeepers cross the Blue Line, weapons and detectors in hand. Beneath their feet, invisible and silent, tunnels snake for hundreds of meters, potential routes for stealth incursions or kidnappings. It’s December 2018. Israel is about to launch Operation “Northern Shield,” a systematic hunt ...

AnalysisHezbollah: From Military Power to Spoiler Power

Tilda Abou Rizk 27/09 09:30 - Lecture : 6 minute(s)

Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah UN Security Council Israel Lebanon

By defying an official ban and illuminating Pigeon Rock in Raouche with portraits of its two former leaders assassinated by Israel in 2024, and mobilizing thousands of supporters for a flagrantly ostentatious show of force, Hezbollah once again pushed the boundaries of its provocative maneuvers. This time, it was through deeds rather than words ...

EditorialNasrallah’s Assassination: Raoucheh Instead of Jerusalem

Michel Touma 27/09 09:30 - Lecture : 4 minute(s)

Hassan Nasrallah Hezbollah Benjamin Netanyahu Israel Middle East

No one could have imagined it for a single moment. At the time, it never occurred to anyone that an operation of such magnitude was possible or even conceivable. The massive resources mobilized for the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah, exactly one year ago to the day, sent shockwaves not only through the ranks of the pro-Iranian party but also ...

SpotlightThe End of an Era: Hezbollah Without Its Anchor

Natasha Metni Torbey 26/09 12:00 - Lecture : 6 minute(s)

Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah Lebanon Israel

September 27, 2024, marked a turning point for Hezbollah. At 6:30 PM, a powerful shockwave tore through Beirut’s southern suburb and its surroundings, but the deeper tremor was political. In a matter of seconds, the “Party of God” entered free fall. Hassan Nasrallah, the movement’s towering figure, its uncontested leader and the symbol of ...

SpotlightRebuilding to Restore Control? Hezbollah’s $3 Billion Gamble

Natasha Metni Torbey 25/09 15:00 - Lecture : 5 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah Israel

Three billion dollars. That is the amount estimated by Hezbollah for the reconstruction of war-torn areas through its Waad project and the Jihad al-Bina association. Yet such a figure immediately raises questions. The group is widely believed to be strapped for cash—squeezed by US sanctions and by a land, air and sea blockade meant to choke off ...

Op-edThe Art of Losing: Hezbollah’s Stubborn Path

Marc Saikali 24/09 12:00 - Lecture : 1 minute(s)

Hezbollah USA Stubborn Pigeon Rock

Hezbollah has lost. Yes, lost. The military campaign? Lost. The battle for public opinion? Lost. The fight for legitimacy in Lebanon? Lost. And yet the Shia militia keeps haunting the country, convinced that a LED projection on a rock will somehow rewrite history. Illuminating the “Pigeon Rock” with portraits of dead leaders is Hezbollah’s ...

ExplainerIsrael Cracks Down on Hezbollah’s Financial Hubs

Natasha Metni Torbey 26/06 16:25 - Lecture : 6 minute(s)

lebanon Hezbollah Israel Terrorism

As Israeli airstrikes and drone attacks continue to pound South Lebanon, a strategic front is rapidly emerging. Israel is now openly targeting Hezbollah’s financial infrastructure, marking a shift from battlefield confrontation to economic warfare. This week was a turning point. On Wednesday, the Israeli military released an unprecedented map ...

HighlightNew Revelations About Nasrallah's Assassination

This is Beirut 22/09 13:20 - Lecture : 4 minute(s)

Hassan Nasrallah Benjamin Netanyahu Hamas Hezbollah Yedioth Ahronot Israel lebanon

On the first anniversary of Hassan Nasrallah’s assassination, Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth published new details about the operation which it described as “worthy of a science-fiction movie.” The mission took place in September 2024, while Israeli fighter jets were heavily bombing Hezbollah strongholds in the southern suburbs of ...

VideosRigged Pagers: Hezbollah’s Fatal Blow

Rayan Chami 17/09 17:40 - Lecture : less than a minute

Hezbollah Pagers Israel Lebanon

September 17, 2024, will be remembered as a dark day in Hezbollah’s history. Thirty-nine people were killed and around 3, 500 thousand of its officials and fighters were injured in brutal and unusual circumstances: the simultaneous explosion of booby-trapped pagers and walkie-talkies. Let’s break it down.

SpotlightThe Incredible Pagers Affair: The Shadow Behind the Explosion

Natasha Metni Torbey 17/09 15:00 - Lecture : 4 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel Lebanon Hassan Nasrallah Beirut

September 17, 2024, 3:30 p.m. Like so many other dates, this one once again thrust Lebanon into the unexpected. In an almost everyday silence, thousands of small devices, pagers, and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah forces exploded almost simultaneously. A deafening roar, flames erupting from offices, vehicles, and command centers. Dozens killed, ...

EditorialSame Script, Same Backdrop, Same Secretary-General

Marc Saikali 17/09 11:15 - Lecture : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah Israel Politics Naim Kassem

Every single week, like clockwork, Hezbollah’s Secretary-General graces us with yet another appearance. And somehow, even those Turkish soap operas dubbed in the Syrian dialect manage to look like Hollywood blockbusters by comparison. Naturally, the speeches are always prerecorded. Spontaneity is risky business when you’d rather not let the ...

SpotlightWhere Is Hezbollah’s Arsenal Still Hidden?

Mario Chartouni 09/09 18:30 - Lecture : 3 minute(s)

Hezbollah Lebanese Army Baalbeck Internal Security Forces Israel

Since the November 2024 ceasefire and Hezbollah’s crushing military defeat by Israel, the question of the pro-Iranian group’s arsenal has once again moved to the forefront in Lebanon. Caught between international pressure, internal fragility and a government determined to reassert control over weapons, Hezbollah appears weakened. Yet its ...

EditorialHezbollah’s Weapons: A Leaky Umbrella

Marc Saikali 04/09 08:15 - Lecture : 3 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel Tehran United States Washington Lebanon

On Friday, the Council of Ministers is, in principle and unless the session is postponed, scheduled to examine the army's plan to disarm Hezbollah. The key question is: Will there be a timeline or not? Without one, Hezbollah would gain time and save face while waiting to see how negotiations between Iran and the United States unfold. For everyone ...

ExplainerUnit 4400: Hezbollah’s Vulnerable Logistical Backbone

Soumia Benmerzoug 27/08 09:30 - Lecture : 5 minute(s)

Hezbollah Beirut Port Damascus Israel Joseph Aoun

In the Beqaa Valley, once bustling with heavily loaded night convoys, silence now reigns. The routes that Unit 4400 used to transport weapons, drones and spare parts from Iran via Iraq and Syria are currently heavily monitored, relentlessly targeted by Israeli airstrikes and patrolled by the Lebanese Army. Once hailed as the backbone of ...

Op-edThe Stages of Naim Qassem’s Grief

Johhny Kortbawi 16/08 09:00 - Lecture : 3 minute(s)

Hassan Nasrallah Hezbollah Israel

A clear separation is emerging between Naim Qassem and Hezbollah, or even between various factions within the party and its wider base of supporters, following the absence of a central figure like Hassan Nasrallah, which has undermined decision-making and centralized authority. Historically, Qassem played a secondary role within Hezbollah, ...

EditorialHezbollah’s Overused Triptych: Paranoia, Reality, and Danger

Marc Saikali 29/05 08:00 - Lecture : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah United States Syria Morgan Ortagus

Six months after the ceasefire took effect, residents of southern Lebanon are still left wondering who will rebuild their homes. Meanwhile, Hezbollah’s secretary-general clings to the old ideological lifeline—“People, Army, Resistance”—like a castaway clutching his last buoy. Once a rallying cry, the slogan now rings hollow—a mantra ...

SpotlightMullahs Wearing Sombreros: Hezbollah in Latin America

Mario Chartouni 21/05 18:45 - Lecture : 5 minute(s)

Hezbollah Europe Middle East Tehran United States

The so-called “tri-border area,” at the junction of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay, has long attracted tourists, notably thanks to the famous Iguaçu Falls. But behind this idyllic setting lies a much more troubling reality: this region is also a strategic hub for transnational criminal networks, including Hezbollah. Washington, which is ...

A Year After Nasrallah's Death: The End of Hezbollah?